Bracket for holding transducer

ABSTRACT

In a bracket for holding a transducer of the type useful for emitting sonar waves for detecting underwater terrain or fish, the bracket includes a first expansion clamp, and a fastening member generally disposed oppositely from said first expansion clamp, and a spacer designed for rigidly holding these two components a fixed distance from each other. The first expansion clamp may be secured to a support, such as the shaft of a trolling motor, while the fastening member is designed for holding the transducer. The fastening member may comprise either a second expansion clamp, having approximately three pairs of vertically aligned expansion grips, or it may include an angulated plate member, the upright portion of which is secured to the spacers, while a permanent form of transducer may be mounted through an aperture provided in the bottom portion of the plate member.

United States Patent Ehrlich Sept. 23, 1975 [54] BRACKET FOR HOLDINGTRANSDUCER 75 Inventor: Harold P. Ehrlich, Florissant, Mo. 'f'

Asszstant ExammerRobert A. Hafer [73] Assignee: C. G. Manufacturing Co.,Florissant,

57 ABSTRACT Filed! J 1974 In a bracket for holding a transducer of thetype useful [21] AppL NO; 434,902 for emitting sonar waves for detectingunderwater terrain or fish, the bracket includes a first expansionclamp, and a fastening member generally disposed op- 248/316 D; positelyfrom said first expansion clamp, and a spacer 24/81 CC designed forrigidly holding these two components a Int. Clfixed distance from eachother The first expansion of Search clamp may be ecured to a upport suchas the Shaft 248/226 E, 316 D, 313; 24/81 B, 8 CC of a trolling motor,while the fastening member is designed for holding the transducer. Thefastening mem- References Cited ber may comprise either a secondexpansion clamp, UNITED STATES PATENTS having approximately three pairsof vertically aligned 1,466,057 8/1923 Mathews 248/229 expansion gripsor it may include angulated Plate 1 537 772 5 925 Hitz|er I I 2 229member, the upright portion of which is secured to the 1,718,316 6/1929Swenson 248/316 D spacers, while a permanent form of transducer may be2,00 ,991 8/1935 Anderson.. 24/81 B mounted through an aperture providedin the bottom 2,803,417 8/1957 Gruber 248/229 portion of the platemember 2,858,093 10/1958 Knoll 24/81 CC 3.521332 7/1970 Kramer 24/81 cc10 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures US Patent Sept. 23,1975

FIG.7

BRACKET FOR HOLDING TRANSDUCER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Thisinvention relates generally to a bracket, and more specifically, to abracket for securing a sonic transducer to a shaft of a trolling motor.I

As any member skilled in the piscaton'al art knows, game fishing by thesportsmen has almost reached the obsession state, in which any method ormeans for enhancing the catch becomes a necessity, and one suchinstrument that has now become a tackle box requirement is theinstrument for employing sonar in observing the geographies of thebottom of the lake, and for detecting the likelihood of locations offish, if not actually observe schools of the same. Sonar instruments,which are generally referred to in the trade as transducers, are nowbeing used for the foregoing purpose, and generally while the metershowing the sonar readings is maintained on board the boat to beretained within view of the fishermen, the transducer itself must belocated under water for emitting and receiving the signals fortransmission by electrical line to the display meter. The methodgenerally used for holding the transducer submerged heretofore has beento use the crude technique, comprising simply the taping of saidtransducer to the shaft of the trolling motor, with the connectingelectrical wire extending upwardly therefrom and into the boat where itssignals are displayed upon the meter box or control center. One drawbackof this method is the fisherman is never sure when the instrument mayget loose, in addition that the mounting of the transducer to the motorshaft usually causes some blockage to its transmitted signal since themotor and prop of the trolling motor are of a greater diameter than itssupporting shaft.

It is, therefore, the principal object of this invention to provide aportable typebracket that may be quickly clamped onto the shaft of atrolling motor or other support, and dispose its held transducer to theside providing adequate clearance for undisrupted sonar detection.

It is another object of this invention to provide a transducer bracketfor a fish locater in which the said bracket includes a pair ofexpansion clamps to either side and providing for facile and quickremoval or installation of its transducer to its trolling motor shaft.

Another object of this invention is to provide a permanent mount for atransducer that can be easily clamped onto or removed from the shaft ofa trolling motor.

Another object of this invention is to provide a bracket incorporating aplurality of expansion clamps that securely support a sonar transducerto the shaft of a trolling motor.

A further object of this invention is to provide a sonar transducerbracket which is coated so as to make it noncorrosive.

These and other objects will become more apparent to those skilled inthe art upon reviewing the summary of this invention, and studying thedescription of the preferred embodiment in view of its drawings.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The bracket explained in this applicationbasically contemplates a two-fold purpose, first to provide resiliencyin a bracket by incorporating expansion clamps that may easily securethe bracket to the shaft of a trolling motor or other support, while inthe first embodiment, utilize a similar type expansion clamp for snuglyembracing the cylindrically shaped sonic transducer, or in the secondembodiment provide means for securing the transducer permanently. Thesecond purpose is to incorporate spacer means between that portion ofthe bracket which clamps to the aforesaid shaft or support, and theclamp or other fastening means that secures the transducer, so as todisplace the mounting of the transducer away from the bulk of thetrolling motor located therebelow so as to eliminate any interferencewith the sonic beams being emitted and received by the transducer.

The bracket of the two embodiments provides means for stably securingthe transducer to it, with one structure of the bracket incorporating,in the perferred embodiment, a series of three pairs of expansion grips,being vertically aligned, and forming the expansion clamp for snuglysecuring and holding the cylindrically shaped transducer within itsgrasp. The resiliency of the grips in adhering to the transducerprovides for its secure retention, and prevents the transducer frombeing dislodged from operation of the trolling motor as when any impactis encountered as when either the boat or its motor may encounter anobstacle. In the modified embodiment of the invention the more permanenttype of sonic transducer is rigidly fixed to an angular shaped plate ofthe bracket, being generally L-shaped, with the upright portion of themember being secured to the aforesaid spacers, while the horizontallydisposed portion of the member is provided with an aperture therethroughand into which the transducer may be rigidly fixed by means of any formof fastening, such as by a threaded engagement.

Regardless of which style of transducer and bracket is used, sinceduring operation of the transducer it and the bracket will always besubmerged under water, it is desirable to encapsulate or coat thebracket with any form of rubber or polymer so as to prevent or delay itsoxidation, in addition to enhancing the grasp or retention attributes ofits expansion clamps in their grip about the transducer and the support.

Transducers of this type disclosed in this application, and as describedherein, are readily available from many sources, and designedparticularly for usage during fishing. Both the cylindrically shapedportable type transducer, or the transducer which is formed forpermanent mounting, can be acquired from companies such as LowranceElectronics of Tulsa, Okla, and Ray Jefferson Division of JetronicIndustries, located in Philadelphia, Pa., in addition to othercompanies. Whichever style of sonic transducer or depth finder may beacquired by the fisherman, the bracket described and claimed herein hasbeen designed to provide for its accommodating and mounting any suchtransducer during usage.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING In the drawing,

FIG. 1 discloses a partial view of a trolling motor showing the bracketof this invention mounting a transducer to its motor shaft;

FIG. 2 provides a side view of the bracket of this invention;

FIG. 3 provides a sectional view of one of the expansion gripsdisclosing its encapsulation in either rubber or a polymer;

FIG. 4 provides a front end view of the fastening member of this bracketwhich secures a transducer;

FIG. provides a top view of the bracket of this invention;

FIG. 6 discloses a side view of a modified bracket showing an angulatedplate member for fixedly retaining the more permanent type sonictransducer;

FIG. 7 depicts a front view of the fastening member, or L-shaped member,of the modified bracket of FIG. 6; and

FIG. 8 provides a top view of the bracket shown in FIG. 6.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In referring to FIG. 1, there isdisclosed a portion of a trolling motor comprising its shaft S thatsupports the propeller P and its motor housing M. Mounted to the shaftS, and preferably below the waterline, is the bracket 1 of thisinvention, shown embracing the sonic transducer T in operative positionfor emitting and receiving signals representative of the underwaterterrain or other things such as bodies of fish, tree stumps, or thelike. An electrical line L normally connects with the transducer andextends to the boat where it connects with some form of a meter ordisplay that provides readings representative of the objects detected bythe sonar waves.

Referring to FIGS. 2 through 5, the bracket is shown comprising a seriesof expansion clamps 2 which are generally vertically aligned, tofacilitate its insertion and snug retention upon the shaft of thetrolling motor or other support. While an expansion clamp is hereindescribed, other types of fixed clamping means may also be used.Extending away from the expansion clamps 2, and arranged generallyoppositely disposed from said clamps, is a fastening member 3 also shownbeing formed as a series of expansion clamps incorporating threeintegrally connected pairs of expansion grips 4 that also aresubstantially vertically aligned to provide snug retention for thetransducer T after its insertion therein. To provide adequate dimensionbetween the clamp means 2 and the fastening member 3 for the purpose ofproviding clearance for the transducer as when mounted to a trollingmotor, there are provided a series of spacers 5, generally one spacerfor each expansion clamp 2, and said spacers are preferably formed as asleeve, each having a channel 6 formed therethrough and whichaccommodates a fastener 7 useful for rigidly securing the clamp 2 to themember 3. Obviously these spacers could just as easily be formed as arod having threaded apertures at each end to accommodate fasteners.

Each pair of expansion grips 4 are formed integral with each other, andare designed of rather arcuate shape to accommodate the cylindrical formstyle of transducer. These grips 4 join with a base 8 which is channelshaped in configuration so as to provide an inward seating of the nut 9of each fastener 7, thereby providing clearance for the unencumberedseating of the transducer T within the grips of the expansion clamp 3.At the opposite end of each spacer 5 there is secured a disc like member10 which provides a stable base for retention of each expansion clamp 2and its securement in a vertically aligned relationship with otherclamps 2 as shown both in FIGS. 2 and 5.

FIG. 3 is provided for showing that once the entire bracket isassembled, it is entirely encapsulated or coated with either a rubber orpolymer material, such as shown at 11, in order to retard corrosion, butalso to provide greater frictional adherence of the bracket to both thesupport to which its expansion clamps 2 mount and for the retention ofthe transducer T within its fastening member 3. Many type of polymersare available for this purpose, such as a polyvinyl chloride.

A modification in the construction of this bracket is shown in FIGS. 6through 8, and generally the modified style of bracket is designed foraccommodating the more permanent type of sonic transducer, as shown atTT, and which are designed having a threaded portion upon which a nut 12may be turned until it fixes the transducer to another member, such asthe bracket of this invention.

The expansion clamp and spacers of this modified form of bracket areidentical in structure to those previously described, and also includesclamps 2, each fastened against a disc 10 to the spacers 5, and retainedthereto by means of a fastener 7. The fastening member 13 of thismodified form of bracket incorporates an angular shaped component whichis formed in an L configuration having an upright portion 14 and abottom or horizontally disposed integral portion 15. A series ofapertures are provided through the upright portion 14 to allow for theinsertion of the fasteners 7 and their retention by means of the nuts 9.The horizontally disposed portion 15 of the angular shaped member isprovided with an aperture 16 therethrough, and through which thethreaded portion of the transducer TT inserts for its eventual retentionby the nut 12.

In view of the previous description of both the double expansion clampmember bracket, as shown in FIG. 2, and the bracket for more permanentmounting of the transducer, as shown in FIG. 6, it can be seen thatadequate clearance in the mounting of such transducers is provided bythe arrangement of the spacers 5 between the expansion clamps and thefastening members that support the respective style of transducer. Itcan been seen, from this description, that where the transducer issimply adhered by means of tape directly to the shaft S of the trollingmotor, that any beam transmitted by the transducer downwardly isobstructed by the motor housing M and hence does not provide a completepattern of the terrain or other objects located thereunder. This bracketis designed to obviate this impediment, and provides means for rapidlysecuring either a permanent type transducer or a portable typetransducer to a bracket and also to the shaft or other support of thetrolling motor. When the boat operator desires to operate either thetrolling motor at its highest speed, or propel the boat by its othermajor motor power, the entire bracket and transducer may be rapidlydisengaged from the shaft S by a simple forceful pulling of theexpansion clamps from their embracement of the same. The transducer andits bracket may then be simply deposited in the boat until they are onceagain reapplied for use as when it appears a likely location for fishingis found.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed and desired to besecured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a bracket for holding a transducer to the shaft for a trollingmotor or other support and which is useful for detecting underwaterobjects such as terrain and location of fish, said bracket including atleast one clamp means for securing said bracket to a support, said clampmeans comprising a first expansion clamp for removably securing saidbracket to a support, said expansion clamp including at least two pairsof integral expansion grips vertically aligned, at least one fasteningmember extending substantially oppositely away from said first expansionclamp and designed for securing a transducer, said fastening membercomprising a second expansion clamp, said second expansion clampincluding a base member, a series of pairs of arcuately shaped expansiongrips integrally extending from said base member, at least one spacermeans arranged fixed intermediate each expansion grip of the firstexpansion clamp and the base member of the second clamp and providingclearance for a secured transducer away from its support, each spacercomprising a length of sleeve, a fastener arranged through each sleevefor holding to its ends the grips of the first expansion clamp and thebase member of the second clamp, and each said fastener being seatedwithin the base member to provide clearance for support of a transducerby its series of expansion grips.

2. The invention of claim 1 and wherein said bracket is rubber coated.

3. The invention of claim 1 wherein said bracket is polymer coated.

4. The invention of claim 1 and wherein said second expansion clampincludes three pairs of vertically aligned expansion grips integrallyformed with the base member.

5. In a bracket for holding a transducer to the shaft of a trollingmotor or other support and which is useful for detecting underwaterobjects such as terrain and location of fish, said bracket including atleast one clamp means for securing said bracket to a support, said clampmeans comprising a first expansion clamp for removably securing saidbracket to a support, said expansion clamp including at least two pairsof integral expansion grips vertically aligned, at least one fasteningmember extending substantially oppositely away from said first expansionclamp and designed for securing a transducer, said fastening membercomprising an angular shaped member, said angular shaped member havingan upright portion, there being an aperture formed through the otherportion of said angular shaped memher and disposed for fixedly mountingto transducer therethrough, at least one spacer means arranged fixedintermediate each expansion grip of the first expansion clamp and theupright portion of said angular shaped member for providing clearancefor a secured transducer away from its support, each spacer comprising alength of sleeve, and a fastener arranged through each sleeve forholding to its ends the grips of the first expansion clamp and theupright portion of the angular shaped member.

6. The invention of claim 5 and wherein said first expansion clampincludes a series of pairs of vertically aligned expansion grips, andsaid spacer means arranged for holding said grips a fixed distance fromthe angular shaped member.

7. The invention of claim 6 wherein said spacer comprises a length ofsleeve for each pair of expansion grips, and a fastener arranged througheach sleeve for fixing each pair of expansion grips and the angularshaped member a fixed distance from each other.

8. The invention of claim 7 and wherein said bracket is rubber coated.

9. The invention of claim 7 and wherein said bracket is polymer coated.

10. In a bracket for holding a transducer to the shaft of a trollingmotor or other support and which is useful for detecting under waterobjects such as terrain and the location of fish, said bracket includingat least one clamp means for securing said bracket to a support, saidclamp means comprising a first expansion clamp for removably securingsaid bracket to a support, said expansion clamp including at least twopairs of integral expansion grips vertically aligned, at least onefastening member extending substantially oppositely away from said firstexpansion clamp and desigend for securing a transducer, said fasteningmember comprising a second expansion clamp, said second expansion clampincluding a base member, a series of pairs of arcuately shaped expansiongrips integrally extending from said base member, a spacer means foreach said pair of grips of the first expansion clamp for holding thesame a fixed distance from the second expansion clamp, and a fastenerholding said base member to a contiguous spacer means.

1. In a bracket for holding a transducer to the shaft for a trollingmotor or other support and which is useful for detecting underwaterobjects such as terrain and location of fish, said bracket including atleast one clamp means for securing said bracket to a support, said clampmeans comprising a first expansion clamp for removably securing saidbracket to a support, said expansion clamp including at least two pairsof integral expansion grips vertically aligned, at least one fasteningmember extending substantially oppositely away from said first expansionclamp and designed for securing a transducer, said fastening membercomprising a second expansion clamp, said second expansion clampincluding a base member, a series of pairs of arcuately shaped expansiongrips integrally extending from said base member, at least one spacermeans arranged fixed intermediate each expansion grip of the firstexpansion clamp and the base member of the second clamp and providingclearance for a secured transducer away from its support, each spacercomprising a length of sleeve, a fastener arranged through each sleevefor holding to its ends the grips of the first expansion clamp and thebase member of the second clamp, and each said fastener being seatedwithin the base member to provide clearance for support of a transducerby its series of expansion grips.
 2. The invention of claim 1 andwherein said bracket is rubber coated.
 3. The inventIon of claim 1wherein said bracket is polymer coated.
 4. The invention of claim 1 andwherein said second expansion clamp includes three pairs of verticallyaligned expansion grips integrally formed with the base member.
 5. In abracket for holding a transducer to the shaft of a trolling motor orother support and which is useful for detecting underwater objects suchas terrain and location of fish, said bracket including at least oneclamp means for securing said bracket to a support, said clamp meanscomprising a first expansion clamp for removably securing said bracketto a support, said expansion clamp including at least two pairs ofintegral expansion grips vertically aligned, at least one fasteningmember extending substantially oppositely away from said first expansionclamp and designed for securing a transducer, said fastening membercomprising an angular shaped member, said angular shaped member havingan upright portion, there being an aperture formed through the otherportion of said angular shaped member and disposed for fixedly mountingto transducer therethrough, at least one spacer means arranged fixedintermediate each expansion grip of the first expansion clamp and theupright portion of said angular shaped member for providing clearancefor a secured transducer away from its support, each spacer comprising alength of sleeve, and a fastener arranged through each sleeve forholding to its ends the grips of the first expansion clamp and theupright portion of the angular shaped member.
 6. The invention of claim5 and wherein said first expansion clamp includes a series of pairs ofvertically aligned expansion grips, and said spacer means arranged forholding said grips a fixed distance from the angular shaped member. 7.The invention of claim 6 wherein said spacer comprises a length ofsleeve for each pair of expansion grips, and a fastener arranged througheach sleeve for fixing each pair of expansion grips and the angularshaped member a fixed distance from each other.
 8. The invention ofclaim 7 and wherein said bracket is rubber coated.
 9. The invention ofclaim 7 and wherein said bracket is polymer coated.
 10. In a bracket forholding a transducer to the shaft of a trolling motor or other supportand which is useful for detecting under water objects such as terrainand the location of fish, said bracket including at least one clampmeans for securing said bracket to a support, said clamp meanscomprising a first expansion clamp for removably securing said bracketto a support, said expansion clamp including at least two pairs ofintegral expansion grips vertically aligned, at least one fasteningmember extending substantially oppositely away from said first expansionclamp and desigend for securing a transducer, said fastening membercomprising a second expansion clamp, said second expansion clampincluding a base member, a series of pairs of arcuately shaped expansiongrips integrally extending from said base member, a spacer means foreach said pair of grips of the first expansion clamp for holding thesame a fixed distance from the second expansion clamp, and a fastenerholding said base member to a contiguous spacer means.